Many earth-working machines, such as, for example, loaders, excavators, hydraulic mining shovels, cable shovels, bucket wheels, and draglines, include tools for moving material (e.g., for digging material out of the earth). These tools are often subjected to extreme wear from abrasion and impacts experienced while moving the material. In order to mitigate the wear, replaceable wear members are fit to the tools and engage the material being moved.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,549 (the '549 patent) to Bender et al. describes an attachment system for detachably mounting a wear member to a parent member. According to the '549 patent, the attachment system includes a mounting base, which is welded to a single surface of the parent member. The attachment system also includes a wear member, which is mechanically attached to the single surface of the parent member by sliding the wear member onto the mounting base and engaging cooperating engagement elements. Once the wear member is slid onto the mounting base, the '549 patent describes using a removable retainer to maintain the position of the wear member. The wear member may be replaced by removing the retainer and sliding the wear member off of the base, thereby disengaging the cooperating mounting elements.
The attachment system of the '549 patent may provide certain benefits in some applications. However, it may have certain drawbacks. For example, it may be difficult and/or costly to use the attachment system of the '549 patent in applications requiring a wear member that mitigates wear to multiple, non-parallel (e.g., perpendicular) surfaces of a tool. The disclosed embodiments may help solve this and other problems.